MEAL Officer

About Oxfam

Oxfam is a global community who believe poverty isn’t inevitable. It’s an injustice that can be overcome. We are shop volunteers, women’s right activists, marathon runners, aid workers, coffee farmers, street fundraisers, goat herders, policy experts, campaigners, water engineers and more. And we won’t stop until everyone can live life without poverty for good.

Oxfam GB is a member of the international confederation Oxfam.

Our Team

Our team works to strengthen Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) of projects implemented in Lebanon.

Job Purpose

Under the guidance of the Oxfam Lebanon PMEAL Coordinator, provide technical support and tools to Oxfam Lebanon’s programmes, ensuring effective, coordinated MEAL systems to drive programme quality and implementation. The MEAL Officer will support the development and implementation of a systematic approach to MEAL, ensuring that Oxfam and partner teams are able to effectively track outputs and outcomes and manage data effectively for reporting and learning purposes, as well as ensure programmes are in line with Oxfam minimum standards. 

Core Details

Location: Beirut

Internal Grade: D2

Contract type: Fixed Term

This role reports to: PMEAL Coordinator

Staff reporting to this post: None

Annual budget for the post: None

Key relationships/interactions:

Senior IM Officer; MEAL Coordinator, Project Managers, Humanitarian Coordinator, Economic Justice Coordinator, Active Citizenship and Good Governance Coordinator, Programme Teams

Screening checks:

All successful candidates will be screened through Refinitiv World-Check One to comply with counter terrorism and financial sanctions regulations.

Key Responsibilities

MEAL system development and implementation:

• Provide support to the PMEAL coordinator and programme team in assessments, project design and proposal development
• Support, and where applicable, lead on the updating of relevant MEAL frameworks, working closely with relevant programme staff, the PMEAL Coordinator and Technical Coordinators.
• Work with the field project team in implementing MEAL plans, processes and tools, ensuring quality and consistency with Oxfam standards.

Programme monitoring, information management and reporting:

• Develop/improve/update tools for data collection, processing and analysis.
• Supervise enumerators working to collect data, and train them as appropriate;

• Conduct and draft reports for weekly field visits to Oxfam and Partners implementation sites.

• Perform analysis of quantitative and qualitative data, draft reports presenting the results of the analysis, and share the findings in an appropriate format.
• Report to and alert the project team on a regular basis regarding any anticipated project issues, risks and any emerging opportunities and threats to the project implementation related to this role.
• Ensure all MEAL-related data and files are properly organized and stored.

Accountability:

• Monitor and strengthen the implementation of the complaints and feedback mechanism for the programme through the “Your Word Counts” accountability platform.
• Accept feedback and complaints from beneficiaries and share them with field teams and track follow-up.

Capacity building for Oxfam and Partner staff:

• Work closely with partner MEAL staff or focal points and provide technical assistance for partners and programme teams to implement MEAL and reporting.
• Undertake periodic monitoring and technical support visits to partners to assess progress against agreed MEAL systems and recommend corrective actions as appropriate.
• Provide training to partners on accountability and provide support in strengthening complaints and feedback mechanisms

Evaluation, Review, and Learning:

• Share relevant MEAL findings with projects teams in an appropriate format and follow-up on their implementation.
• Support evaluations through:  the coordination of field-based data collection activities, sharing of evaluation findings and recommendations with intended audiences.
• Support the implementation of evaluation recommendations at field level
• Assist the programme team and partners in documenting lessons learnt
• Collecting best practices, case studies which demonstrate qualitative and quantitative changes over the period.
• Organize/support field-based reviews and learning events.

Coordination and Networking:

• Participate in and contribute to relevant inter-agency efforts to agree and develop coordinated / joint M&E and accountability frameworks and mechanisms as relevant
• Delivering any other responsibility related to MEAL assigned by the line manager.

Your commitment to Oxfam

• Required to adhere to Oxfam’s principles and values as well as the promotion of gender justice and women's rights
• Understanding of and commitment to adhere to equity, diversity, gender, child safety and staff health and wellbeing principles

Person specification

Note to candidates: Shortlisted candidates will be assessed on our organisational values and attributes at the interview stage. The successful candidate(s) will be expected to adhere to our code of conduct. We encourage candidates to read and understand our code of conduct here.

Key Organisational Attributes                                                                              

• Ability to demonstrate sensitivity to cultural differences and gender issues, as well as the commitment to equal opportunities.
• Ability to demonstrate an openness and willingness to learn about the application of gender/gender mainstreaming, women’s rights, and diversity for all aspects of development work.
• Commitment to undertake Oxfam’s safeguarding training and adherence of relevant policies to ensure all people who come into contact with Oxfam are as safe as possible

Organisational Values                                                                                           

• Accountability – Our purpose-driven, results-focused approach means we take responsibility for our actions and hold ourselves accountable. We believe that others should also be held accountable for their actions
• Empowerment – Our approach means that everyone involved with Oxfam, from our staff and supporters to people living in poverty, should feel they can make change happen
• Inclusiveness – We are open to everyone and embrace diversity. We believe everyone has a contribution to make, regardless of visible and invisible differences

Oxfam Leadership Competencies

• Influencing - We have the ability to engage with diverse stakeholders in a way that leads to increased impact for the organisation We spot opportunities to influence effectively and where there are no opportunities we have the ability to create them in a respectful and impactful manner.
• Humility  - We put ‘we’ before ‘me’ and place an emphasis on the power of the collective, nurture the team and play to the strengths of each individual. We are not concerned with hierarchical power, and we engage with, trust and value the knowledge and expertise of others across all levels of the organization.
• Relationship Building - We understand the importance of building relationship, within and outside the organization. We have the ability to engage with traditional and non-traditional stakeholders in ways that lead to increased impact for the organisation.
• Listening - We are good listeners who can see where deeper levels of thoughts and tacit assumptions differ. Our messages to others are clear, and consider different preferences.
• Mutual Accountability - We can explain our decisions and how we have taken them based on our organizational values.  We are ready to be held to account for what we do and how we behave, as we are also holding others to account in a consistent manner.
• Self-Awareness - We are able to develop a high degree of self-awareness around our own strengths and weaknesses and our impact on others. Our self-awareness enables us to moderate and self-regulate our behaviors to control and channel our impulses for good purposes.

Essential - Experience, Knowledge, Qualifications & Competencies          

• At least 2 years of relevant professional experience working in MEAL or an associated field
• Bachelors degree in a relevant field from a recognised university.
• Demonstrable experience of gathering, analysing and presenting quantitative and qualitative data
• Fluency in written and spoken English and Arabic
• Proven ability to work effectively with others and demonstrate sensitivity to gender issues
• Experience with computerised systems (such as Survey CTO, Power BI or others); high degree of computer literacy particularly with Microsoft Office (Excel skills essential)

Desirable

• Good organisational and coordination skills
• Ability to work under pressure, ability to prioritize and meet deadlines.
• Detail-oriented, able to organise and manage various programme files
• Potential and flexibility of attitude to learn.
• Experience working on the development, management and/or maintenance of databases
• Practical experience using participatory approaches in MEAL

Oxfam is committed to preventing any type of unwanted behaviour at work including sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, lack of integrity and financial misconduct; and committed to promoting the welfare of children, young people, adults and beneficiaries with whom Oxfam GB engages. Oxfam expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment through our code of conduct. We place a high priority on ensuring that only those who share and demonstrate our values are recruited to work for us.

The post holder will undertake the appropriate level of training and is responsible for ensuring that they understand and work within the safeguarding policies of the organisation.

All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks. Oxfam GB also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme.  In line with this Scheme, we will request information from job applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms his/her understanding of these recruitment procedures.

We are committed to ensuring diversity and gender equality within our organisation and encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply